


Fate by the Throat

by b2hiss



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Backstory, Canon Backstory, Canon Compliant, During Canon, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28694124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/b2hiss/pseuds/b2hiss
Summary: From the goddess of a cult in Marley to a member of the 104th regiment and beyond, Ymir’s life has taken her far through space and time. This fills in the details of her backstory.





	1. Chapter 1

Hunger. It was the first thing she remembered: the pangs of an empty stomach that reached to her head, to her very center. Everything was worse with this hunger, sleeping was more difficult, the nights were colder, and the strangers on the street so much more intolerable. Usually, they passed by her and the other homeless children running around the streets, never making eye contact. Sometimes, someone would even throw them bread. But the goodness of a stranger does not extend so far, and when her stomach growled and ached for a bite to eat, she was only more aware of how pitifully she lived as a lost Eldian child on the streets of Marley.

No name, no parents, no family, no friends, no home. “I have myself,” she would tell herself. “My hands take food and my mouth eats it.” She found that focusing on what she had was a good distraction from thinking about all the things she did not have. “My hair and my dress keep me warm, and my legs pick me up and walk.” But usually, she dulled her thoughts and senses, living neither here nor there, but in a place where her empty stomach did not feel so tight and twisted from constant hunger.

How long did she live like this? She had no knowledge of time, she did not know how language was written, she did not even know about the hate that Marleans had for Eldians like her and her parents. If she did know about it, she would understand how she ended up wandering the streets like a rat. If she knew anything more about herself or her situation, she would know how to rise above it. But she did not know. So she lived day to day, surviving despite her dirty feet, her dizzy head, her aching stomach, her heavy hopelessness, and her loneliness.

She understood that she was a victim of her circumstances. She knew that she had no power against her greatest enemy, fate.

So when two men approached her one night, she followed.

The one who knelt to her level took her hand and led her out of the hidden courtyard where she slept with the others. “You’re going to come live with us now,” he said to her. She felt his heavy, warm hand. He was taller, with short hair, a straight face, and intense eyes. She was not used to making eye contact with anyone, but he looked at her deliberately. His mouth smiled and frowned, but it never relaxed and was always tight. She stared up at him as he talked to her. She could not even try to guess where they were walking or what they were going to do. The other man walked silently with them as the lantern they held flickered and cast their shadows. The only sound was their footsteps on the cobblestones.

Why me? she thought to herself. The others had been there too. But they chose her and only her. Why me why me why me?

“A brand new life needs a new name,” the man said to her beside him.

A name? For her? But why?

“Do you understand?” he said.

No, she thought. But she looked up at him and nodded. Fate would twist around her regardless of whether or not she understood it. She had no say in the matter, so she followed him through the dimly-lit streets until the stones, corners, and edifices became unfamiliar to her. She had never gone this far from the others. The three of them walked on, behind the buildings, to a locked door in front of a short, hidden staircase.

The room they entered stretched long to the right and to the left. It was empty except for an elevated platform on one side and a few benches on the other. The floor was smooth and cold, and it was not made of dirt, stone, or wood, which were the only materials identifiable to her. Mounted candles glowed warmly on her face. They added subtle movement to the stillness. It was definitely strange to be inside, under a roof with walls, especially in a room as long as this one.

From a hallway by the benches entered a blonde woman dressed in a simple, light robe. She exchanged a few words with the taller man while the child stared at their faces. The man knelt down by her again.

“Gina will take care of you and make you comfortable. I am leaving now but I will see you tomorrow morning. Understand?” Once again she nodded silently. The man stood up. “Your name is Ymir now. That is what everyone will call you.”

Ymir said nothing. The blonde woman took her hand and led her away, bidding goodnight to the others.

“Would you like something to eat?” she asked her.

A name, a roof, and now food? Ymir stared up at the woman. She could not say anything. Would she actually give her bread? Her stomach tightened and growled at the thought of it.

Gina laughed and sat her on the benches. “Wait here,” she said.

Ymir sat still. Promptly Gina returned with a small bowl.

It was hot! The food was hot! Deliciously hot! The steam from the bowl, which contained some thick soup, rose into Ymir’s face to warm it. She couldn’t believe it. Was this a trick? Why were they giving her hot food? She glanced uncertaintly at the woman, who sat down next to her with a smile.

“Here,” Gina said, and took the spoon from the bowl. She blew on it then offered it to Ymir. Hesitantly she opened her mouth and took it, still looking at her.

Warmth! Creamy, rich, hot soup! Ymir had never tasted something so delicious. It filled her mouth with flavor, and its warmth reached both her heart and head. The saltiness blended in with it, filling her stomach, returning life to her limbs. After a few more spoonfuls, she felt like a whole new person, a new person reborn.

This is Ymir, she thought. Nice to meet you.

She felt the care and warmth in every part of her, and she couldn’t help but smile.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Ymir met more adults who looked her in the eyes and paid attention to her. They gathered in the long room in front of the raised platform, where Ymir sat in a tall, large chair. Her face was clean, her hair was combed, and most importantly, her stomach was full. Little had been said to her since the night she arrived, and she was unsure of what would commence. She looked out on the people standing in front of her. They waited expectantly.

Soon the man from before entered the room, wearing a long robe similar to what the others wore. He stood by Ymir’s side and addressed the sparse crowd.

“My fellow Eldians,” he began. “For centuries we have been oppressed by Marley, sent to live in the shadows, enduring their discrimination and hatred.” The crowd murmured in agreement. “And for what?” he continued. “Because of Lady Ymir Fritz, the foundress of us all? It was because of her that we were able to cultivate the land and domesticate ourselves. We take pride in our heritage! We take pride in her lineage! Her life-giving blood flows directly down the line of the Eldian king. This,” he motioned to the child seated on the chair, “is Lady Ymir, who has inherited the blood of the king. She is a direct descendant of the Foundress, and she has come to protect us all. As long as Lady Ymir is with us, we will be blessed with immortality. Offer your hearts and souls to her, so that we may be bestowed with her abundance.”

The adults’ faces beamed with smiles as they clapped for her. For me, Ymir thought. She did not understand what the man said about Marley and kings and blessings, but she knew that he and all the rest had found favor in her. They looked at her, they saw her, they acknowledged her. For the first time Ymir felt valued. She recognized a worth in her existence. She saw it in their eyes.

But she knew she was no king. The Fritz line had died out when the rest of Eldia was sent to Paradis. The threat of being sent there was a fear that even the smallest Eldian was aware of. The king’s bloodline was gone away, and Ymir’s heritage had nothing to do with it.

Fate sent me here, she thought to herself. The man continued to speak, but she was not listening. She thought of the people’s praise, the warm food, and the safe bed she slept in at night. The life of a king was not so bad. And in addition to that, she recognized her place in the others’ lives. Because of them, she gained new life. Because of them, she was Ymir.

The man finished speaking, and when the people clapped again, Ymir mirrored their smiling faces. She decided to follow fate’s lead once more.

-

As the years passed, Ymir slowly forgot that she had no royal blood. She was occupied throughout each day with learning how to read, write, speak, and act like a lady. Once she was able to, she studied the history of the Foundress, her namesake, and the complete story of how the Eldians were pushed to Paradis Island. She learned of the other nations bordering Marley and beyond, the wars they fought against them, and how they also feared the Eldians’ powers. And she asked more about her own country, Marley, especially about the Public Security Authorities, who were the ones that took dissenting Eldians across the sea to die on the island with the others.

“It is worse than death,” her teacher said to her, but refused to elaborate further.

During the group’s ceremonies, the gatherings in which Ymir was seated at the head of the room, the man who originally brought her would speak about the glory of Eldia and its superiority over the rest of the world’s peoples. “The day of judgement will come, when the Titans of the Walls will flatten and destroy Eldia’s enemies,” he declared. “Pray to the Lady Ymir, that she may bring this justice to fruition.” The man was named Pastor Cherrel. He spoke to the people from the platform for most of the gatherings, and all Ymir had to do was sit and grant blessings to those who approached her. As the cult gained notoriety, more and more Eldians joined, offering their alms and selves to the cause. Pastor Cherrel oversaw all of this, and as more people attended, he grew in energy. He spoke louder, and used his hands and arms to demonstrate how one day, Marley would be crushed and defeated as it had once been when Ymir Fritz sat at the side of the original Eldian king. “Offer your hearts and your treasures!” he would say. “With these sacrifices, you will live to see Marley fall.”

The members of the cult took Pastor Cherrel’s words to heart. Oppressed as they were in Marley, with extensive limitations and regulations, the promise of Marley’s fall comforted them. What did it matter if they were denied access to the benefits of citizenship? What did it matter if they had to live with the threat of deportation to the Devils’ Island? One day, Marley and all its authorities would suffer their long-deserved retribution, while the Eldians tasted justice. More and more of them joined over the years for this hope, and along with them came their monetary offerings.

Silently, secretly, Ymir learned how to recognize the truth in a person’s face. She learned that it was common for adults to hide behind a constructed personality. Pastor Cherrel was a different man in the presence of the crowds, compared to who he was with her, or Gina, or her tutors. The members’ offerings aroused him. Ymir watched him as he counted the day’s gains. Sometimes he laughed after he finished. Other times he looked at Ymir and asked her, “Is there anything in particular you would like to eat tomorrow?” The way he fondled the pieces, the way he carefully stowed them away, the way his intense eyes looked with hunger at the hands gathering alms - Ymir knew it was these riches that drove him. It showed in the fine clothes he wore to the ceremonies and in the heavy, shiny metals that he pinned to and wore on top of them. But it didn’t matter to her. She was glad that he grew happier, and when prompted, she would always ask to eat real meat. But nobody ever asked her what she thought about, so she kept what she learned about the members of the cult to herself.

Ymir decided that as long as he was happy, and she was happy, nobody was harmed. Everybody was doing their part and contributing to the group. She felt herself an important figure in this way. She took on the role of an icon, along with all of its responsibilities. She belonged to them and to a greater cause. Life was fine.


End file.
